Inside Cruise Cabin
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6 Reasons To Choose An Inside Cruise Cabin

Every cruiser lusts after the raved about the balcony room. What if I told you there are some serious advantages to an inside cruise cabin that you might not have considered? I just took my 8th cruise. I don’t think of myself as a cruising fanatic, but I am not a novice cruiser. I’ve stayed inside, window view and balcony cabins. All have pros and cons, but the inside is my favorite, and I don’t think I’ll ever spend the extra money on the balcony again.

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Reasons To Choose An Inside Cruise Cabin

Darkness – Which Means Great Sleep

Inside cabins have no windows at all. What this means is complete darkness – pitch black! And this translates to heavenly sleep! There is no chance of the sun peeking in, and you lose track of time. The element of now knowing if it’s morning, noon, or night is beyond relaxing.

Additionally, today, almost all inside cabins have a “fake” window that creates the allusion that you have a window. Some have painted scenery or video screens to make a wall appear like a window. Balcony cabins are not blacked out. No matter how great the design, there is always space on the window treatment that lets in the light.

Inside Cruise Cabins Have Plenty of Room

Inside cabins have come a long way and are more significant than you think. There is plenty of room and plenty of cabin space. Some of them are laid out quite well and provide you with the same area as a typical hotel in NYC. The bathrooms are always smaller. Let’s be clear – microscopically tiny, but hey, ho.

Amenities Are Not Compromised

The amenities are identical. You get the same room service and downturns. Likewise,  the bathroom is the same size regardless, and unless you are willing to splurge on a suite, the only difference is a balcony!

Inside Cruise Cabin Wardrobes
Inside Cruise Cabin Wardrobe
Inside Cruise Cabin Hallway

You Get Total Privacy!

Inside cabins offer you total privacy. No one can hear your conversations on the balcony. No one can see you. It’s like your private oasis. Don’t get me wrong – you have privacy in all the cruise cabins, but it’s absolutely on the inside.

Inside Cruise Cabins Are Always Cheaper

This one may be obvious, but it’s a lot cheaper to stay in an inside cabin than it is to stay in any other category. When we cruised Alaska, we paid almost $3k to have a balcony in the hopes of seeing wildlife. This was a tragic waste of money. Not only is there a naturalist on deck calling all sightings, but it’s irrelevant if the wilderness is not on your side of the boat! I saw the tail of a whale and nothing else. What about the Caribbean, you may ask? Staring at the ocean is not exactly riveting – it’s annoying. The only time you catch a glimpse of activity is in port.

Check out how much closet space we had and how the automatic under-closet light turned on with motion!

FAQs

What is inside a cabin on a cruise ship?

Inside Cruise Cabin

Inside cabins are windowless rooms in the middle of each deck rather than along the exterior edge. Due to the lack of natural light, these rooms are often the cheapest on cruise ships. It is common for inside rooms to be the smallest onboard.

How big is an inside cabin on a cruise ship?

Inside Cruise Cabin

Most major cruise lines (such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess, and Holland America) will offer standard inside cabins between 150 and 185 square feet, standard outside cabins between 160 and 200 square feet, and typical balconies between 175 and 220 square feet.

Do inside cabins on cruise ships have windows?

Inside Cruise Cabin

No, interior rooms do not have windows. Despite their lack of windows and compact size, there are many reasons to consider booking an interior room on a cruise.

Do inside cruise cabins have a TV?

Inside Cruise Cabin

Yes, regardless of category, all cruise ship cabins feature televisions.

Closing Thoughts

Suppose a balcony comes your way super cheap, as an upgrade, or for free fantastic. Otherwise, consider saving your hard-earned cash! You can take two, potentially three cruises if you opt for an inside cabin rather than the overrated balcony.

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2 Comments

  1. I’ve never been on a cruise before but I’m really considering taking my dad on the Canada Alaska cruise, he’s never been on one either. If things go as planned, we may be able to add the rocky mountaineer to the trip as well, which goes through the beautiful Canadian rockies :)

    1. Hey Mike,
      People tend to love them or hate them, I am in the middle. I love several things about them such as several destinations and no repacking. Losing track of time which is easily done, the food which personally I think has gotten better over the years (even on cheap cruises) and the crowd if on the right boat (aka not full of kiddo’s). I hope you do take your dad on one! Alaska is spectacular and so is Canada and cruising would be a wonderful way to see it all. The Rocky Mountaineer is on my bucket list:) IF you guys do that you have to share some of the photos! Nikki

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